10 Ways to Lose 5 Pounds by This Weekend

Sure, a months-long healthy diet is the real key to lasting weight loss. But you can lose weight quickly and safely. Here's how

Take More Deep Breaths Though your doc might ask you to inhale and exhale through your chest during a physical exam, this kind of superficial breathing won't do you any good when you're trying to lose weight quickly. According to Pam Grout, breathing coach and author of "Jumpstart Your Metabolism," breathing is the key to sustainable and long-lasting weight loss. Grout, who teaches people how to change their breathing patterns to lose weight, says clients report losing a pound a day.

And yet nine out of 10 of us aren't breathing properly, she says. "Put one hand on your chest, the other on your abdomen. Take a normal breath. If the chest hand goes up rather than out, you're breathing wrong."

If you don't breathe properly, you'll take in a third of the oxygen your body needs. "And when the body doesn't get enough oxygen, it can't burn through fat," says Grout.

What's more, proper breathing can rev your metabolism, lower stress chemicals which cause your body to retain fat, and keep you centered so you're less likely to binge or stress eat. The goal is to take long, deep breaths into your abdomen. To practice this, lay on the floor with a book on your belly. On your inhale, make sure the book rises. On the exhale, the book should come down. "Slow, deep inhales and exhales are best," says Grout.

Once you get the hang of belly breaths, she recommends trying the 1-4-2 breath, which is specifically designed for weight loss. Here, breathe through your nose to whatever count is comfortable. Hold the breath inside your body for four times as long, and then exhale through your mouth for twice as long. So if you breathe in to the count of 4, lock it into your body for 16 (4x4) and exhale for 8 (4x12). "It will get deeper and longer as you can get better at it," she says. "Do 10 of these, twice a day."

Fantastic! The more often you eat (smaller portions and healthy foods), the more you do rev up your metabolism. Not enough can be said about movement. I started at a new school (a huge building) a few years ago and had to run the stairs to make sure I made it to classes on time. I started to lose weight and couldn't stop. Water, water, water--absolutely necessary to fill you up, help you lose weight, and keep your skin plumped and glowing!